Chapters:

The night's air was charged with the promise of a storm. The sweet
scent of ozone tasted of something metallic. With that, the roses
in the garden released its fragrances to mingle in the aroma that
promised rain. It was considered the middle of nowhere where the
wooden two-story house stood surrounded by livestock and beautiful
open fields. White paint flaked from the battering of bad and good
weather, but besides that and a few leaks, the house was
comfortable and fit to live in. It was big enough for a family of
five…or more, but there was just one that took up residence there.
At the moment she was busy settling the cows and her two horses in
the barn. They were all angst over the coming storm. She cooed and
stroked them softly and one by one they settled in for the night.
Cherry Montgomery had lived on Montgomery Farms for the past four
years. After Gordon had passed, all that he'd own was given to her,
being his wife and all. They hadn't gotten around to having
kids…well that wasn't any fault of Gordon. After a trip to the
doctor, Cherry had realized that she was barren. Gordon hadn't made
her feel any less of a woman, but it was a state of mind for
Cherry. It was hard to accept when all Gordon had wanted was
children of his own. She couldn't even manage a miscarriage…perhaps
that would've been worst. The phone rang relentlessly. She grabbed
the cordless from her back pocket and pressed the talk button.
"Hello?" She had to speak louder than normal due to the wild brush
of the wind that whipped at her clothes and her hair. "Cherry? Is
everything okay?" It was Dorothy. Whenever the weather went south
she found it hard not to check up on Cherry. A single woman
shouldn't be living alone in the middle of nowhere with nothing but
crops and animals to keep her company. Not only is it not normal,
but it can be very dangerous. That was always Dorothy's argument.
'I'm fine Dor, I'm just seeing to the animals." She said as
lightening flashed over her and with it came a roll of thunder that
made her jump. "Cherry jump in the pick up and head over here
please? Its dangerous to be out there in a storm." And now it
began. Cherry really didn't have time for it. She had to secure the
barn and close the shutters on the house. So much to do and the
first drop of rain was already falling. She looked up and knew from
the heavy gray overcast that it was to late to move even if she
wanted to. "I can't Dor. Its already coming down on my side. I'm
just going to have to wait it out the best I can. It won't be the
first." "Cherry-" Lightening snaked through the gray overcast with
the roar of thunder seconds behind. It was really too late to make
a move even if she wanted to, and truly she wasn't up to it. "Sorry
Dor but youknow how I feel about being on these things in a storm.
I've gotta go anyway darling; the chicken coop's door is still
hanging of the hinges. Needs a fixing. Call me only if there's an
emergency and not a fake one to lure me out." Cherry said as she
made her way to the chicken coop. Dorothy wouldn't argue with her;
they were both afraid to be on the phone during a storm especially
after old lady Florist got knocked right out of her bedroom
slippers and crashed into her grave from lightening. Poor thing had
been calling to make certain Cherry was needing company in the
storm. She was too jinxed for her own good. "Oh alright. I'll
behave but promise you won't go running out in this weather to save
a straying pig. Please Cherry or I'll make Walter drive me out
there with all the kids in tow. I know you won't like that." Cherry
winced as she fished for her hammer on her tool belt. Dorothy was
playing dirty today. She knew that it would drive Cherry crazy with
worry if she attempted the roads in a storm with all her kids. So
cherry agreed and hoped her friend would hang up before the rain
came blasting down. Seconds later, she said her good byes and began
fixing the hinges on the chicken's coop. Just as she was about test
the door, a hen ran out into the wild wind with feathers
a-flailing. Cherry holstered her hammer and took of after her with
pleas for her to stop. She was definitely on a mission to escape.
It was Bebe; one of her favorite hens who tended to produce enough
eggs to keep Cherry sustained. "Come on Bebe don't do this honey!"
Bebe was not hearing it. She kept running and jumping about in the
wind. She was usually more calm than the way she was acting now.
What had her spooked couldn't be the storm. Suddenly there was a
flash that was so bright that it burned Cherry from her head to her
feet. She hit the ground after a moment of convulsing. Well her
worst fears had come true; she'd been electrocuted. Some how she
was still aware of what was going on but she felt the life slipping
from her grasp rapidly Her chest was tight from the lack of oxygen
and she could hear what air she was breathing scorching against the
walls of her throat; fighting its way in. "Oh...God!" She cried as
every inch of her skin and every nerve ending beneath it seered to
life. Cherry knew she wasn't going to get up from this. Already her
eyes were clouding over with darkness even though heavily
overcasted sky above was alit with wild and erratic flashes of
lightening. Why was the sky so crazed? This was no regular thunder
storm. Well it didn't matter; she was dying. Cherry gave the sky a
final look as her body began convulsing again. She was breathing
fast now. She couldn't feel her feet anymore. Yep, definitely
dying. There was a sudden flash of light that snaked downward and
crashed down beside her and crumbled the earth in its wake. Cherry
felt the soil give under her and she was suddenly tumbling downward
into what she assumed was her grave. There were no words that she
could think of that would ever come close to describing how much
pain her body was being insulted with. Perhaps when she hit the
bottom of her 'grave' she would crop out. She slammed into
something hard, bringing her to a stop on her stomach. Her ponytail
of red curls came loose and fell about her. She tasted the gritty
moist soil against her lips and it made the burns ache further. 'Oh
let me die already! I can't take much more of this...' Cherry
nearly jumped when she felt hands on her back. Who could've found
her this soon? She groaned in excrutiating pain at the feel of the
mysterious savior turning her over. She cringed at the tearing
sensation her burnt skin gave her and still she was alive. As she
finally laid on her back, she blinked blurry eyes at the figure
that knelt above her. Maybe she was heading into the pearly gates
because all she could see was white. Soft yet masculine hands
lifted her in his arms and cradled her against his chest. Her soar
cheek rested against bare chest and she heard a wailing sound
rising from within. Was he crying for her? Did he think she was
already dead? Cherry opened her chapped burnt lips and found her
voice. "Please...help....me" and she needed it now because the
tightness in her chest was like a knife being plunged deep through
her heart. She was gasping for air and her nails raked through the
soil. It was too late after all. "Help?" She heard. Deep voice say.
Cherry shook in his hold and her eyes grew wider with the need to
see anything but the growing darkness. It hurt, God it hurt! Just
as she was about to give up the ghost, the stranger tore away the
front of her sky blue flannel and took her bra with it. She was
exposed; burnt flesh and all. Was he going to ravish her before she
died? Sick fuck! But Cherry couldn't fight him and death at the
same time; she had to yeild to one and from the feel or lack of
feeling from her body, death was winning. She jolted at the feel of
his palm pressing in between her breast and felt the already warm
hand grow hot. She tried to see his face as she hyperventilated and
heard him making odd sounds with his voice. Something felt odd in
Cherry's body; yeah she could blame it on getting struck by
lightening but it didn't feel like the reason. She felt the 'blade'
in her heart being pulled out sowly and her skin becomming tighter.
What was he doing? "Help..." He murmured against her lips as if he
heard her. The stranger pressed his lips against hers and there
were no words to describe the feeling. It was as if the feeling
death had brought on was being reversed. She felt her skin coolig
but was still so warm! What was he doing to her. The pain was
erasing from her body but narrowing down to a pinnical in her
chest, just underneath his palm. Cherry had to scream or she was
going to explode. She pulled her lips from his and bellowed her
pain in his face. He opened his mouth and screamed with her. Cherry
watched a blue light pour out of her mouth and into his and it was
as if all that built up pain had found somewhere else to go and it
seemed as if he was calling it out of her. Her eyes were wide open
and she could see his eyes over the blue light. Beautiful indigo
eyes stared back at her and they beckoned for her to let it all go
because they would make it all better. Those eyes surrounded by
pale skin were the last she saw before she backed out.